


The Big Sister

by WritingWeirdo



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Brother Feels, Drama, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Protective Dustin Henderson, Protective Lucas Sinclair, Protective Mike Wheeler, Protective Steve Harrington
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:27:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28207563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WritingWeirdo/pseuds/WritingWeirdo
Summary: "Don't Mess With The Big Sister"McKayla Henderson is Dustin's big sister although The Party has claimed her as their big sister as well, she's the only one who ever hangs out with them without acting like they're children. As all hell breaks loose in Indiana, there's one thing everyone should know, when you mess with her brothers, you mess with McKayla Henderson.
Relationships: Dustin Henderson & Original Female Character(s), Steve Harrington & Dustin Henderson, Will Byers & Dustin Henderson & Lucas Sinclair & Mike Wheeler
Kudos: 1





	1. McKayla Henderson

Name: McKayla Lee Henderson

Looks: Brown long hair, brown eyes

Portrayed by: Emma Watson

Nicknames: Lee (everyone), Kay (Dustin), The Big Sister (The Party)

Age: 17

D.O.B.: December 24th, 1966

Personality: Kind, protective, loyal, intelligent, strong, bookworm, creative

Likes: Sketching, reading, playing guitar, singing, stargazing, nature

Dislikes: Being alone, fighting, screaming, death, people hurting her family

Hobbies: Reading, sketching, playing guitar, singing, stargazing

Family: Dustin Henderson (Little Brother), Claudia Henderson (mother), Jacob Henderson (father, deceased)

Friends: Will, Mike, Lucas, Nancy, Jonathan

Bio:

Hey there, I'm McKayla Lee Henderson but everyone just calls me Lee. Im Dustin's big sister and, if you asked his friends, his friends honorary big sister as well. Despite being a different age, I often hang out with them and have been part of the party for years. When I was younger I didn't have many friends or any at all and was often bullied, they protected me despite being younger than me so when I got older and stronger, I took on the job of protecting them in return. Usually this was mostly just protecting them from the everyday bullies but now... well let's just say the job got a lot harder.


	2. Cast

Emma Watson

as

McKayla "Lee" Henderson

"A little tip? Don't mess with the big sister."

Gaten Matarazzo

as

Dustin Henderson

"You're the best, Kay."

Caleb McLaughlin

as

Lucas

"The only protection we have is Lee!"

Finn Wolfhard

as

Mike Wheeler  
  


"We need some help."

Noah Schnapp

as

Will

"See you tomorrow sis!"

Millie Bobby Brown

as

Eleven

"Big sister?"

Natalia Dyer

as

Nancy Wheeler

"I don't know why you hang out with them."

Charlie Heaton

as

Jonathan

"You've been disappearing a lot lately."

Joe Keery

as

Steve Harrington

"Hey Lee, wanna go for a ride?"

The Rest of The Cast

as

Their Characters

Disclaimer

I do not own Stranger Things or it's characters! I only own my original characters and their stories


	3. 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝙾𝚗𝚎: 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚅𝚊𝚗𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚏 𝚆𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝙱𝚢𝚎𝚛𝚜

  
𝚗𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛 𝟼𝚝𝚑, 𝟷𝟿𝟾𝟹

𝚑𝚊𝚠𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚜, 𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚊𝚗𝚊

꧁ 𝟹𝚛𝚍 𝙿𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝙿𝙾𝚅 ꧂

The day Will Byers vanished was a seemingly normal day in Hawkins, Indiana, what was once a normal town. Nobody could tell anything strange would happen, especially not McKayla Henderson.

As was every other day, November 6th was a normal day for the girl. She got up at five-thirty for school, she got dressed and drove her brother, Dustin Henderson, and his friends, Will, Mike, and Lucas, to school and then went to her own, where she promptly ignored everyone's cruel words thrown at her behind her back as if she somehow wouldn't hear despite how close they were.

All anyone could talk about was how strange she was, whether it be the way she dressed and acted which was apparently not ladylike, or the fact that she hung out with 'little kids' McKayla shrugged off their words with a roll of her eyes as she went to one of her only friends, Jonathan Byers. Her other friends, Nancy Wheeler and Steve Harrington, were off doing god know what, McKayla didn't want to know truthfully, however she did know she would see them before the day was over.

After school was over, McKayla rushed to the Wheeler house with a grin. The boys had told her they would bike to Mike's house since they were out earlier than her that day, and she knew what that meant. They were going to start without her!

She unlocked the door with the key she had been given about a year ago when the Wheeler family had apparently gotten tired of going to the door every day. She walked in and set her backpack down by the door, calling out a hello to Mike's mother and father who was in the kitchen and the living room before rushing downstairs.

McKayla watched the boys play for a moment before, just as the room got tense, she cleared her throat causing all the boys to jump. Dustin was the first to see who had cleared their throat, the others too worried about the game prices that had fallen to care to look.

Dustin jumped up and ran to her making her giggle as she kneeled down and wrapped her arms around him. "Kay! You're here!" Dustin called, Kay was a nickname only Dustin could use, it was what he had called her when he was a kid, still learning to talk. It was back when she went by her full name, McKayla, instead of her middle name, Lee, and McKayla had been deemed too hard to pronounce by the curly-haired boy who had soon begun to call her Kay. Whenever anyone else had tried to call her by his special nickname, he had thrown a fit, even if it was his friends and soon enough everyone learned never to call her Kay.

Even as Dustin grew, he had always called her Kay, even when she started to go by Lee.

"Hey D." She whispered as she held onto him.

The other boys finally noticed the older girl and rushed over to her with grins. They stood awkwardly by the siblings until McKayla rolled her eyes and extended her arms for them. "Come on." She called which was all the boys needed as they quickly held onto her, well Lucas and Mike did, Will, being a tad shyer than his friends, stayed still. "Come on Will." She worded to the boy with a grin as she motioned for him to come, Will smiled at her before joining the hug.

The siblings, honorary and biological, enjoyed the hug for a few moments before they released each other and stood back allowing the older girl to stand up, brushing off her jeans she looked at them with a grin. "Now that the hugging is done, can I join?" She asked teasingly the boys were quick to agree as they rushed over to the table.

McKayla wordlessly pulled out a chair she had downstairs and put it in between Dustin and Will as they added her to the game with a practiced ease.

꧁ 𝙷𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚜 𝙻𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚛 ꧂

"Something is coming. Something hungry for blood." Mike spoke, "A shadow grows on the wall behind you, swallowing you in darkness." Dustin wiped his nose as McKayla sat on the edge of her seat, tensions high in the basement and in the game, "It is almost here."

"What is it?" Will questioned eagerly.

"What if it's the Demogorgon?" Dustin asked glancing at McKayla who shrugged. "Oh, Jesus." Dustin spoke as he slumped back in his chair.

"We're so screwed if it's the Demogorgon." McKayla started with a groan.

"It's not the Demogorgon!" Lucas protested.

Mike looked around with a look that seemed to say, 'we'll see' before he spoke, "An army of Troglodytes charge into the chamber!" With his words, he slammed something down on the table.

"Troglodytes?" Dustin questioned.

"Seriously?" McKayla asked rhetorically, agreeing with her brother.

"Told ya." Lucas said with a smirk causing the table to fall into a lighter air, filled with laughter and the occasional snort.

Mike looks over shoulder as if he hears something, his eyes grow wide which McKayla noticed however all she could hear was a dog barking outside. "Wait..." he called softly, "do you heard that?" He questioned before he turned back to his friends who had looked at him in concern and curiosity. "Boom! Boom! BOOM!" He exclaimed, "That sound... it didn't come from the Troglodytes... no. It came from something else..."

McKayla sat on the edge of her seat, listening to the boys' dramatic and intense words before he slammed a large two headed monster onto the table, one that McKayla immediately recognized as...

"The Demogorgon," Mike stated dramatically.

The group stared at Mike before Dustin spoke, "We're in deep shit."

With practiced ease, McKayla reached over and slapped the back of her brother's head, ignoring his angry screech of 'ow' as she scolded him, "Language Dustin!"

"Hey, you swear all the time!" Dustin whined with a huff as McKayla rolled her eyes.

The game continued as normal, the scene between the Henderson siblings as normal as Hawkins was believed to be at the time. "Will, your action." Mike told the young boy who swallowed nervously, no doubt wishing it wasn't his turn.

"I-I don't know." The boy stuttered.

"Fireball him!" Lucas chimes in.

Will shook his head. "I'd have to roll thirteen or higher." He protested.

"Too risky." McKayla agreed with Will.

Dustin nodded. "Cast a protection spell." He told his friend.

"Don't be a wimp! Fireball him!" Lucas argued.

"Protection spell!" Dustin fought back, confusing Will more than anything.

Just as McKayla was about to calm the boys, not wanting to overwhelm the young boy, Mike spoke, "The Demogorgon is tired of your silly human bickering. It stomps toward you. Boom!" Mike narrated urging the scene on.

"FIREBALL HIM WILL!" Lucas shouted.

"Another step. BOOM!" Mike called out, the air growing tenser with every second that passed.

"Cast protection!" Dustin called.

"It roars in anger." Mike spoke dramatically.

McKayla looked between Lucas and Dustin who continued to bicker.

"Fireball!"

"Protection!"

"And—" Mike started only to get cut off.

"FIREBALL!" Will called out before he rolled the dice. Too hard, McKayla winced as the dice scattered to the other side of the basement. It landed by the stairs, where none of them could read it.

The group scrambles to look at the dice.

"Oh shit!" McKayla couldn't help but exclaim as she rushed out of her chair with wide eyes.

"What is it?!" Lucas asked eagerly.

"I don't know!" Will responded.

"Is it a thirteen?" McKayla chimed in curiously, lifting her head up as if she would be able to see it.

"I DON'T KNOW!" Will snapped.

"Oh my god, oh my god!" Dustin chanted as he paced.

None of the boys seemed to notice the voice of Mike's mother calling out for him as they scrambled to find the dice.

"Can you find it yet?" Lucas called to Will who was looking for the dice.

"No, I can't find it!" Will exclaimed.

McKayla lifted a finger and pointed to the dice. "It's right there."

Her comment went unnoticed as the basement door swings open with a whoosh of air. The group looks to find Karen Wheeler, Mike's mother, standing at the top of the stairs.

"Mom, we're in the middle of a campaign!" Mike called to his mother who judging by her expression was not having it.

"You mean the end." The woman corrected sternly as she taps her watch. "Fifteen after."

"Oh my god. Oh my god." Dustin continued to chant as he paced, McKayla watched him carefully, ever the protective big sister.

"Oh my god! Freaking idiot!" Lucas called out.

"Why do we have to go?" Will practically whined making McKayla chuckle as she patted him on the back.

"It's late, Will. We can play again some other time." She told the boy softly, Will couldn't help but smile at the girl who never failed to put a smile on all their faces.

Mike chases his mom up out of the basement, calling out to her desperately. "Mom, wait! Just twenty more minutes!"

McKayla chuckled as she told the boys to grab their things, picking up Dustin's backpack she handed it to him before beginning to clean up but not before taking a look at the dice. Seven.

McKayla kept the information to herself, staying silent, as the boys stuffed their things into their bags.

"Oh, I got it!" Will called, "Does the seven count?" Will asked Lucas, the person closest to him.

"It was a seven?" Lucas asked as Dustin struggled to put on his jacket. "Did Mike see it?" Lucas asked, when Will shook his head, he continued, "then it doesn't count."

McKayla rolled her eyes as she bumped Dustin, drawing his attention to her. "I'm gonna go grab my bag. Be right back." Dustin nodded before McKayla rushed upstairs to grab her backpack from where she left it right by the front door.

Lucas and Will went to follow after her until Dustin called out. "Yo, hey guys." He lifted the lid of the pizza box he had picked up to show. "Does anyone want this?"

"No." Will and Lucas chorused before continuing on their way.

McKayla pulled on her backpack as Dustin appeared at the top of the basement stairs with a box of pizza in hand, the sausage and pepperoni pizza she had ordered earlier, with Mike's parents' permission of course. "What are you doing D?" She asked stopping him in his tracks.

"I'll be right back Kay." He told her, going up the stairs before she could respond.

McKayla groaned and followed after the boy, realizing where he was going as soon as she heard her friend's voice. "No, I don't think..." McKayla followed after her brother as Nancy's conversation continued. "Yeah, he's cute."

McKayla appeared by Dustin's side as the boy waved to Mike's older sister and McKayla's friend, Nancy Wheeler. "Barb, no I don't think so." She told her friend not noticing the young boy at her door. "Barb you're not—"

"Hey, Nancy." Dustin called out cutting the girl off. "There's a slice left if you want it. Sausage and pepperoni."

"Hold on." Nancy told Barbra or Barb, her best friend, before she got off her bed, Dustin grinned at the girl until she shut the door in her face, Dustin shut the pizza box with a huff that made McKayla chuckle.

"Go on downstairs, D, I'll be right down." She told her brother patting his head or hat rather and ushering him off, ignoring the pout he gave before he marched downstairs.

McKayla rolled her eyes and knocked on the door, "Nance, it's me." She called out, not a moment later the door opened to reveal Nancy with a grin.

"Hey, Lee." Nancy greeted.

McKayla smiled back at the girl. "Hey Nance, just wanted to say hi before I go."

Nancy nodded in acknowledgment. "I don't know why you hang out with them." She told her friend, McKayla rolled her eyes at the familiar comment. She heard it every day, from friends and people she didn't even know.

"They're good kids and—" Nancy cut McKayla off.

"And they're like your brothers." Nancy chuckled, having heard her words a million times. "I know, I know, but still, they're kids."

McKayla sighed. "I have to go Nance." She told her friend.

"Alright. See you tomorrow Lee." She told her friend who nodded before going downstairs.

Before McKayla even stepped down the second step she heard Nancy close her door making her roll her eyes. At her house, her door was never closed, not because of her mom's rules but because of her brother. She wanted him and his friends when they came over to know they weren't bothering her when they came to see her. She wouldn't let them feel as if they were a burden, she wouldn't let them go through the same thing she did.

"There's something wrong with your sister." Dustin told Mike as he stepped off the front step upon his sister opening the door, backpack over her shoulder.

"What are you talking about?" Mike asked as Will zipped up his jacket.

"She's got a stick up her butt." Dustin told Mike making McKayla stifle a chuckle.

"Yeah." Lucas agreed.

"Dustin!" She scolded, "You're right but still be nice." She told him making her younger brother chuckle.

"It's because she's been dating that douchebag, Steve Harrington." Lucas continued.

"Hey! Steve is not all that bad." McKayla told them defending her friend, the boys shot her looks that made her pout. "Sometimes."

"Yeah, she's turning into a real jerk." Dustin said moving on from her comment as if she had never said anything at all making her huff as the boys got on their bikes.

"She's always been a real jerk." Mike responded as the lights on the boy's bikes turned on and McKayla rummaged through her backpack for her keys.

"Nuh-uh. She used to be cool." Dustin replied, "Like that time she dressed up as an elf for our Elder tree campaign with Lee."

"Four years ago!" Mike called back as the boys began to bike off.

"Just saying!" Dustin called as he biked away leaving McKayla, Mike, and Will on Mike's driveway.

McKayla chuckled as she pulled out her car keys. "See you tomorrow Mikey." She told the boy offering him a quick hug.

"Bye Lee." Mike told the girl with a smile as she walked to her car, stopping as she unlocked it to call out to the boys.

"Hey!" She called making the boys on their bikes stop. "See you boys tomorrow, love you!"

Lucas and Will grinned at the girl who had easily become their older sister. "Love ya too Lee!" Lucas called back.

"See you tomorrow sis!" Will called back with a fond grin from beside Mike.

"Hey! What about me?" Dustin called with a pout that made McKayla laugh.

"I'll see you at home D!" She told him as she opened her car door, the boy smiled at his older sister before biking off with his friends, hearing the familiar sound of his sister's car starting up behind him as Will rushed after them.

McKayla wished she could change a lot of things about that night.

She wished she had gone with them, if only in her car.

She wished she hadn't let them go home alone.

She wished she had checked on them, made sure they got home safe as she had occasionally done in the past.

But most importantly...

She wished Will was safe.

꧁ 𝟸,𝟼𝟷𝟼 𝚆𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜 ꧂


	4. 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝙾𝚗𝚎 𝙿𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚃𝚠𝚘: 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙱𝚊𝚍 𝙵𝚎𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐

꧁ 𝟹𝚛𝚍 𝙿𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝙿𝙾𝚅 ꧂

That night there was a mysterious blackout in the town of Hawkins, Indiana with unknown reasoning.

In the morning, McKayla woke with a bad feeling, however she pushed through it and got out of bed, getting dressed and coming out just as Dustin sat down at the dining room table with a plate of pancakes their mother had made.

"Morning D." She greeted as she pressed a kiss to his head before grabbing her plate.

Dustin grinned at his older sister. "Morning Kay."

The morning at the Henderson house was normal other than the tv in the background of their breakfast playing the news which talked about the mysterious blackout they had experienced the night before.

McKayla drove her brother to school as normal however after he opened his door and got out, McKayla called out to him, unable to shake the bad feeling she had woken up with, "Hey D!"

"Yeah?" Dustin responded as he looked at her, his hand on the passenger door.

"Be careful." McKayla told him softly, her tone sounding almost pleading, Dustin gave her a strange look but nodded before shutting her car door.

McKayla sat in her car for a minute or two watching her brother until he and his friends went into their school, frowning when she realized Will wasn't there. She hoped Will had just gone early and was already inside or he was late although it would be unusual for the boy. Still, she had a feeling it was neither.

McKayla sighed before driving off. She didn't want to be late for school because of some silly bad feeling of hers.

꧁꧂

The two boys walked onto school with their bikes, meeting up with Dustin by the bike rack since he had been driven by McKayla that day.

"Hey, Dustin." Mike and Lucas greeted as they set their bikes into the bike rack.

Dustin grinned at his friends. "Hey, guys. Where's Will?" He asked curiously, usually, the boy would come in with Mike and Lucas or be there soon after them if not earlier.

Mike paused looking around as he held the straps of his backpack. "That's weird." He commented still looking around, "I don't see him."

"I'm telling you, his mom's right." Lucas told his friend as he followed the boy who had already begun the walk to their first class. "He probably went to class early again."

Mike shrugged with a sigh, they were right of course. It wasn't unusual for Will to go early but he had a bad feeling about it all and he didn't like it one bit.

Dustin nodded, agreeing with his friend despite his mind going back to McKayla's strange ways this morning. "Yeah, he's always paranoid Gursky's gonna give him another pop quiz."

"Step right up ladies and gentlemen." A voice called, one horrifyingly familiar to the boys who turned to face their current worst enemy and longtime bully and his sidekick of course because what's a villain without a minion— oops I meant 'sidekick.'

"Step right up and get your tickets for the freak show." He continued. "Who do you think would make more money in a freak show?"

The taller boy who was clearly older than them stepped forward, pushing Lucas to first, "Midnight," He pushed Mike next, "Frogface," He then went to Lucas who he pushed as well, "or Toothless?" The boys showed little reaction to the shoves of the older boy, showing just how long the boy had been bullying them for.

His minion sighed, his finger to his chin as if thinking about it before pointing at Dustin. "I'd go with Toothless." He said mimicking Dustin.

"I told you a million times, my teeth are coming in." Dustin told them stubbornly. "It's called cleidocranial dysplasia."

The minion once again began to mimic the boy, this impression somehow worse than the last, "I told you a million times." He chuckled as if it was funny.

"Do the arm thing." The main bully told Dustin.

Dustin made no moves to do the arm thing, glancing around as if he expected someone to come help him. He knew it wasn't possible, McKayla had already left and everyone else ignored it.

"Do it, freak!" The minion pushed, "Your protector isn't here to save you this time." He smirked.

Their protector was McKayla, she had always been their protector and always would be, but even superheroes couldn't be there for all of the crimes.

Dustin didn't say a word as he pulled off his jacket and cracked his arms making the taller boys groan as if disgusted although they were the ones who made him do it.

"God, it gets me every time." The main bully, Troy, said before pushing through the boys with his minion without another word to them.

"Assholes. I wish McKayla were here, she'd kick their asses."

꧁꧂

McKayla walked into the high school, her backpack over her shoulder and her notebook in hand. She looked around to find any of her friends and spotted Nancy with Barb, Nancy's best friend.

McKayla grinned and went up to the girls just as Barb asked Nancy something, "So did he call?"

"Did who call?" McKayla asked with a raised brow as she walked on Nancy's other side.

"Keep your voices down!" Nancy told them sternly.

"Did he?" Barb asked again.

Nancy sighed. "I told you, it's not like that."Barb gave her friend a look. "Okay, I mean, yes, he likes me, but not like that."

Nancy went over to her locker as she continued, "We just..." she put her locker combo into her lock as she told her friend, "made out a couple of times."

""We just... made out a couple of times."" Barb repeated teasingly.

"Who was it?" McKayla asked curiously.

"Steve Harrington." Nancy told her casually.

McKayla raised her brow. "Stevie?" She asked.

Steve Harrington was the popular boy and while McKayla had been friends with him since they were kids, Nancy had made it clear in the past that she thought he was nothing but a jerk who broke girl's hearts.

"Nance, seriously, you're gonna be so cool now, it's ridiculous." Barb told the girl.

McKayla frowned. "I'm not cool and I'm his best friend."

The girls ignored her making McKayla groan as she wonders why she's even friends with them.

"No, I'm not." Nancy disagreed.

McKayla huffed as she went to her locker which was right beside Nancy's as the girls' conversation continued without her in it. "You better still hang out with me, that's all I'm saying." Nancy gave her friend a weird look, "If you become friends with Tommy H or Carol-"

"Oh, that's gross!" Nancy interrupted.

McKayla snorted from where her head was buried in her locker as she dug around for things. She had to agree though, despite her being close friends with Steve, she had flat out refused to be friends or even hang out with them.

"Okay, I'm telling you, it was a one time..." Barb raised her brows. "Two-time thing." Nancy corrected herself as Barb chuckled.

McKayla wrinkled her nose. Gross, she thought. That's Stevie they're talking about, the little kid who poured punch on my best dress in Kindergarten on my birthday! McKayla huffed at the memory, she loved that dress.

"You were saying?" Barb asked after a moment of silence between the two.

Curious, McKayla closed her locker and went back over to the spot in between the two girls, reading the note in Nancy's hand over her shoulder.

Meet me in the bathroom - Steve

Were the words written on the note in Steve Harrington's messy handwriting in blue marker none the less. How fancy, McKayla rolled her eyes.

"That's gross, Nance." McKayla commented, popping a piece of gum into her mouth that she had grabbed from her locker before she had shut it. "He's Stevie!"

Nancy chuckled but ignored the girl as she stuffed the note into her locker. "I have to go to the bathroom girls." She told her friends with a grin, McKayla groaned, and walked away.

McKayla seriously had to find better friends.

In all honesty, the girls were great, of course when Steve Harrington or any cute guy is involved, they tend to not involve her much but she didn't care. All that mattered was knowing they'd be there for her whenever she needed a friend and they never failed at that.

But that didn't mean McKayla liked Nancy's new thing with Stevie. I mean seriously, Stevie?

McKayla shook her head as she sighed, going on her merry way as she tried her best to forget about what was happening in the bathroom.

꧁꧂

McKayla was sitting in her last class, the bell had just rung and she was shoving her things into her backpack to head out of the class as the rest of her classmates were doing, most of the class was already gone, rushing more than McKayla was, when the teacher came up to her desk, standing in front of it, after getting off the class phone.

"You need to stop by the principal's office." Ms. Stone told her softly.

McKayla zipped up her backpack and looked at her teacher anxiously. "Am I in trouble?"

Ms. Stone shook her head. "Not at all dear, it's just..." Ms. Stone sighed, "Just go up there please."

McKayla nodded her head despite being even more confused as she stood up. "Yeah, of course."

It didn't take long for McKayla to reach the office, she knew exactly where it was as she had been there a couple of times in the past. She was anxious, biting her lip as she made her way into the office, she went to the desk where the secretary, a nice elderly woman named Mrs. Lee, was sitting in her chair looking at her bulky computer.

Click-clack echoed in the office as the secretary's unnaturally light pink fingernails hit the keyboard. "Excuse me." She called hesitantly.

The secretary's typing stopped and she looked up curiously. "Yes, dear?" She asked.

"Ms. Stone said the principal wanted to see me?" McKayla told the woman hesitantly as if she wasn't sure if she was right.

Honestly, McKayla hoped Ms. Stone was wrong, that she had heard the wrong student's name.

Mrs. Lee's eyes widened in realization, "Ah yes." She said nodding slightly, crushing McKayla's hope, although McKayla hadn't noticed it at the time, Mrs. Lee had a sad, pitying look as she spoke, "Principal Richards is expecting you, you may go right into his office dear."

McKayla nodded, glancing at the door marked Principal's Office with his name, Alexander Richards, written below it. "Thanks, Mrs. Lee." She said absentmindedly as she made her way to the door.

McKayla took a deep, steadying breath before she opened the door to the principal's office, expecting that despite her teacher's words she was in trouble.

To her surprise, when McKayla opened the door, it wasn't just the principal in his office, another familiar man, Sheriff Hopper, was there as well, sitting in one of the two chairs in front of Principal Richard's desk.

The two were talking but went quiet as the door shut behind McKayla, Principal Richards attempted to ease the girl's nerves as he smiled kindly at the young teen, "Hello Miss. Henderson, take a seat." He spoke gesturing to the empty seat.

McKayla nodded, going over to the uncomfortable brown chunky cushioned chair, she sat down and set her backpack down on the side of the chair.

"What is this all about Principal Richards, why is Sheriff Hopper here?" McKayla asked nervously, sitting on the edge of the chair.

Principal Richards sighed. "William Byers is missing." McKayla eyes widened while Principal Richards hesitated, his gaze flickering to the sheriff briefly before he spoke again, "And you were one of the last to see him."

McKayla furrowed her brows before she could ask anybody any questions, Sheriff Hopper spoke, "Did the kid—"

"Will." McKayla interrupted. Will hated to be called a kid, they all did.

"Right." The Sheriff nodded, "Did Will act strange at all?"

"Strange?" McKayla questioned even more confused.

The sheriff nodded again. "Different, nervous or scared perhaps?" He suggested.

McKayla thought back to the night before and then shook her head. "No, not at all. He was happy, my brother, Dustin, he raced him home, said he bet him a game or something, there was nothing out of the ordinary."

"You weren't with him?" The Sheriff asked.

McKayla shuffled to look at the sheriff. "What?"

"You didn't see him get home?" The sheriff rephrased.

McKayla shook her head. "No, I drove my car there so I had to drive it back home, I drove past them on my way but Will's house is the last stop for the boys, none of them were there when Will got home." McKayla hesitated for a moment, "He did get home, didn't he?"

The sheriff hesitated at this, he seemed to be thinking of what he should or even could say. "We can't share that information." He decided on, McKayla frowned and went to argue when the sheriff spoke, standing up, "Thank you, you've helped me out a bit."

A minute or so after the sheriff left, Principal Richards spoke, "You may go home now Miss Henderson." McKayla jumped turning to the principal.

"Oh uh thank you, sir." She told him picking up her backpack as she stood.

Principal Richards nodded. "Mister Byers will be fine, he's probably just... lost." He tried to comfort the girl.

McKayla forced a smile and nodded before leaving the office though she had immediately disagreed with his words.

Will didn't get lost, she didn't know what happened to him, but she knew that he didn't get lost. He knew the area better than she did.

McKayla walked the mostly empty halls numbly, not knowing what to think, her mind on Will like she knew it would be until they find him.

McKayla distantly heard someone calling out to her but ignored it and the footsteps that came after it, she ignored everything until someone stepped in front of her and grabbed her wrist, stopping her in her tracks as well as snapping her out of the daze although she still felt numb.

"Lee." Steve called, "What was that about, you lose your hearing aids?" He chuckled jokingly before he paused, taking in her appearance or more specifically the expression on her face that just seemed... wrong. "What's wrong?" He asked worry seeping through, "Did something happen to Dustin?"

McKayla shook her head but otherwise didn't respond.

"Well then what is it? What's wrong?" Steve pushed worried about his childhood friend.

McKayla looked into his eyes for the first time, making it all the more obvious that somethings wrong when he saw the tears that were in her eyes, threatening to spill, and then, she spoke, "Will's missing."

꧁ 𝟸,𝟺𝟾𝟸 𝚆𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜 ꧂


End file.
